An examination of aspects of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) from a scientific perspective.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Video of the century!

State of excitement

From time to time, people ask me why I don't get excited about the latest UAP video, photograph or sighting?

Sightings

In terms of sightings, long term blog readers will recall that Melbourne researcher, Paul Dean, and I collected Australian sightings over a period of a year, and analysed the best of them. The truth was that very many of them had mundane explanations, often buried in the way the material was breathlessly presented, e.g. 'video of the century!' Very few of these sightings still looked interesting after a critical review of the information.

Despite this, I continue to review a range of sources, keeping an eye out for interesting material, looking for the small residue which reflect the 'core' UAP, i.e. sightings which do not have a ready explanation after an intelligent review. My most recent look, in August 2017, at such raw sightings was from a resident of Torquay, Victoria. This individual had a number of sightings, including an oval object, one quarter the size of the full moon in broad daylight; and one where four objects were travelling in formation, again in broad daylight. However, the bottom line was that none were viewed at close range, which would have precluded the possibility of an known object being the stimulus.

Part of my investigation report

Videos

The same applies to videos. Sydney researcher, Anthony Clarke of UFO Research (NSW) Inc., and I have just spent time looking into a video taken in Sydney at around 7am on 8 August 2017. The surveillance video shows what at first glance looks like a very unusual object travelling across a fixed outdoor view, for about a minute.

However, after Anthony Clarke visited the location; interviewed the person who discovered the image on the video; took a look at the position of the camera and its housing; he found that a very different picture emerged.

Location of the video - images courtesy of Anthony Clarke

One of the cameras

Close up of camera

The most likely explanation is that an insect crawled across the exterior of the camera cover, and its de-focused image is what was at first glance taken to be a UAP. Indeed, Anthony noted spiders web near the camera.

Still images are frequently submitted to a range of social media sources, and main stream media outlets. A person uploads a photograph, rarely providing any real data that would assist in its analysis; and then frequently fails to respond to inquiries for more information.

The white dot at the centre of the picture is a plastic bag

The coloured patch to the left of the Sun is a 'sun dog'

The Moon, planet Jupiter, and below is a lens reflection

All, in all, almost all such images are suspect as misidentifications or hoaxes. In recent times, I have identified 'sun dogs;' internal lens reflections, and out of focus birds and insects, in images sent directly to me.

Where are the good cases?

What has happened to the classic, close encounter, involving someone travelling in a motor vehicle in a remote locality, along the lines of the 30 October 1967, Boyup Brook, Western Australia event? Are they still occurring? If any blog readers know of such Australian incident, I'd like to hear from you via email to keithbasterfield@yahoo.com.au